School of Arts and Sciences

Sociology

Course Descriptions

SOC 150: PRINCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY (F, S)3 credits/ Frameworks

SOC 150 introduces students to the ways human groups cooperate and conflict with one another and the expected and unanticipated consequences of these relations in American society as well as in the worldwide community. The overarching goal of the course is to help students understand how individual human development is a group experience from infancy to old age, how the social world impacts their lives, and how they, in turn, affect the lives of others in this social world.

SOC 151: SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND SOCIAL POLICY 3 credits

Cross-listed with SWK/CRJ 201

This course is an exploration of how social conflict and social organization affect human and societal well-being. Topics: mental health, personal safety, economic well-being, and intergroup relations in an industrial society and a developing nation.

This course examines the myths, trends, and the reasons behind these trends in the changing world of interpersonal relations. Topics include mate selection, marriage and its alternatives, parenting, parting by divorce or death, and trying again.

SOC 233: WORK AND OCCUPATIONS (F)3 credits

This course is an analysis of the social organization of work in modern societies, including the concept of career, the development of professionalization, the nature of work-satisfaction, and the impact of bureaucratization. Special attention is given to occupational subcultures such as law, medicine, public service, the military, and education.

SOC 237 (257): THE CITY: CONFLICT AND CHANGE (S)3 credits

This course is a study of world cities; their growth and influence on personality; urban violence and its control; neighborhood development and metropolitan planning; and the effects of national and international economic forces on cities in developing and industrial nations.

SOC 238 (258): ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY (F)3 credits

This course is an analysis of the human and social structural causes of modern environmental problems and a presentation of a systematic approach toward environmental protection reforms.

SOC 260 : MEN AND WOMEN IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY (S)3 credits

This course explores male and female gender roles in the contemporary United States and in the world. An examination of socialization in childhood and adulthood, sexual politics, and power structures and dynamics within the family and the workplace. Special attention to the effects of class and race on gender role formation.

This course is an analysis of the dynamics of race and ethnic relations and of the intersection of race, gender, and class in historical and contemporary contexts. An inquiry into the issues of pluralism and diversity in unity.

SOC 263: ANTHROPOLOGY (F)3 credits

This course explores the spread of humans on earth; racial variations and their significance; cultures in less complex societies and industrial societies across the world; and the impact of these cultures and societies on one another.

SOC 265: SOCIOLOGY OF LAW (S)3 credits

This course analyzes the law as a social process in historical and comparative perspectives, in particular historical legal traditions such as the British common law, the Napoleonic code, and some other legal systems.

SOC 270, 370, 470: SPECIAL TOPICS IN SOCIOLOGY (F, S)3 credits

These are courses designed to cover special or emerging interests in sociology. Topics have included: sociology of conflict, the Holocaust and its causes, computers and society, sociology of sports, and social gerontology. Special permission needed to be used to meet major requirements.

SOC 301: PRINCIPLES OF STATISTICS (F)3 credits/ Core: Powers: Numbers

This course introduces students to statistical analysis for social sci- ences: Presentation and interpretation of data, descriptive statistics, theory of probability and basic sampling distribution, statistical inference including principles of estimation and tests of hypotheses, introduction to correlation and regression, and first principles in the construction and critique of quantitative arguments for research questions in the social and behavioral sciences and public policy.

SOC 302: STATISTICAL ANALYSIS AND DATA BASE DESIGN (S)3 credits

In this course, students learn about the principles of data analysis using statistics, with emphasis on developing critical thinking skills and performing analyses on real data sets. After completing this course, students will be able to design and analyze basic statistical studies, to understand and criticize statistical methods in research projects and the media, and to appreciate the power and utility of statistical thinking. Examples and methods are drawn primarily from the behavioral, natural, and social sciences, and from public policy. The course will cover the following topics: database design, survey and experimental design, exploratory data analysis, and modeling.Prerequisite: SOC 301 or permission of instructor

SOC 305: SOCIETY AND THE INDIVIDUAL (F)3 credits

This course is a study of the influence of society and culture, as mediated by the social group, on the social, cultural, and personal behavior of the individual.

SOC 306: COMPLEX ORGANIZATIONS IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY (S)3 credits

A study of the founding, transformation, and disbanding of organizations, the pace of organizational evolution in modern societies as well as the sources of change and stability in contemporary organizations in the U.S. and in other societies, particularly organizational structures, processes, environments, culture, innovation, and effectiveness.

SOC 308 : SOCIAL INEQUALITY IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY (S)3 credits

This course analyzes the structure of social stratification and the impact of globalization and economic restructuring on structured inequality in the United States and in the world, using the structural perspective and the world system theory.

SOC 309: HEALTH, HEALING, AND HEALTH CARE (F)3 credits

This course provides an introduction to the sociology of health, healing and health care, and to social epidemiology. Examines the relationship between healthcare providers and their patients, with special attention to alternative health-care providers and bioethics. Analyzes the health-care systems in the United States and in some developed and developing countries.

SOC 310: SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY (F, S)3 credits

This course is a study of the basics of contemporary sociological theory and its classi- cal roots, with an emphasis on helping students apply theoretical think- ing to everyday life events.
Prerequisite: SOC 150

SOC 312: SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY 3 credits

This course examines the dynamics of social change and of specific social movements, such as the environmental justice movement, the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, the health movement, and others.

SOC 320: DELINQUENCY AND JUVENILE JUSTICE (S)3 credits

Cross-listed with CRJ/SWK 320 (formerly CRJ 220)

This course addresses a comparative and historical survey of juvenile delinquency and juvenile justice. Study of the nature, magnitude, and social location of youth crime; analysis of causal theories; and overview of programs aimed at delinquency prevention and control.

SOC 340: SOCIOLOGICAL INTERNSHIP AND PRACTICE (F, S)3 credits

Sociological practice provides students the opportunity to undertake internships. Students have academically structured learning experiences in work settings related to their career interests and academic programs. Prerequisites: junior or senior status, G.P.A. greater than 2.5, and permission of the internship coordinator.

SOC 385: THEORIES OF DEVIANCE (S)3 credits

Crosslisted with CRJ 385

This course is an intensive analysis of contemporary theories of deviant behavior. Theories examined through seminar discussions of primary materials and critiqued by consideration of research findings. Social policy implications discussed and specific criminal justice programs considered in the light of these theories.

SOC 480: RESEARCH METHODS (F)3 credits

This course is an introduction to the social research processes, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Construction of a research proposal.Prerequisite or taken concurrently: SOC 301

SOC 481: RESEARCH SEMINAR (S)3 credits

The experience provides an opportunity to conduct original research in one area of social reality employing a research method of the student’s choosing.Prerequisite: SOC 302 (or taken concurrently); SOC 480